MIT Sloan School of Management and Universidad de Chile to host a conference exploring how strategic analytics is changing the future of healthcare

Symposium takes place on May 25, 2017 at the Santiago Business & Conference Center

Cambridge, Mass., April 5, 2017—How can wearable devices and emotion technology be used to treat epilepsy and autism? How can Big Data both lower the cost of caring for at-risk newborns and improve their survival rates? And how can scientists use genomic information and electronic medical records to develop medicines for chronic diseases like diabetes? These are just a few of the questions that researchers will tackle at the upcoming MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO)-Universidad de Chile conference.The theme of the conference—“Strategic Analytics: Changing the Future of Healthcare”—aims to highlight the many ways in which Big Data will lead to important medical advances, lower healthcare costs, and address inequalities between public and private healthcare systems.

“When it comes to reimagining healthcare in Latin America and beyond, we must think as expansively as we can,” said Roberto Rigobon, the faculty director of the MIT Sloan Latin American Office (MSLAO) and Professor of Applied Economics at the school. “We are thrilled to welcome experts from around the world to this conference and to shine a light on how new analytical tools and systems thinking will have a profound and transformative effect on the provision of healthcare.”

The conference, which takes place on May 25, 2017 at the Santiago Business & Conference Center, is expected to draw hundreds of researchers and leaders from academia, health care, government, and industry.

“This conference blends MIT’s expertise in analyzing massive amounts data and optimizing complex systems with Universidad de Chile’s path-breaking medical research to unravel the big, complicated underlying problems that plague the healthcare system,” said Rafael Epstein, the provost of Universidad de Chile. “We are honored to collaborate with MIT Sloan for this exciting event, addressing our mission to not only create knowledge and share with our students, but also giving that work and effort to resolve the questions and problems of our societies, from a public university, to a public audience, with public answers.”

More than a dozen presenters will discuss ways to deploy data and analytics to drive innovation in the healthcare sector. Joseph Doyle, Professor of Applied Economics at MIT Sloan, will speak about his research on measuring returns of healthcare spending. His study on improving care for low birth-weight newborns has been replicated in several countries, including Chile.

“My research centers on identifying value and waste to create a higher-quality, more cost-effective healthcare system,” he said. “My goal is for people to come away with a deeper understanding of correlation versus causation and a respect for data and how to use it intelligently.”

Juan Velásquez, Associate Professor in the Industrial Engineering Department at Universidad de Chile, and Chief of the Ingeniería 2030 Universidad de Chile project, will speak on a panel that explores specific ways to use large-scale data analysis and technology to improve human health in Chile. “We envision a future in which engineers, doctors, economists, and technologists are working together to keep patients healthier for less money,” he said. “I imagine the hospitals of the future as huge Big Data centers. There we will process the medical data to obtain information and knowledge, in support of the medical professionals in the diagnosis.”

Dimitris Bertsimas, Professor of Operations Research at MIT Sloan, will speak about his development of a data-driven algorithm for personalized diabetes management. Rosalind Picard, Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab, will speak about how wearable digital technology can help people diagnosed with autism and anxiety manage their stress.

“Our ambitious agenda underscores the ways in which strategic analytics can be harnessed to address the biggest healthcare challenges in Latin America and around the world,” says Lee Ullmann, Director of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office. “Our conversations will, undoubtedly, point to new ideas and solutions that improve patient health for generations to come.”

The conference is part of MIT Sloan’s commitment to supporting the advancement of management education and practice in Latin America. Founded in 2013, the MSLAO strives to develop and nurture meaningful activities throughout the region, such as faculty and student visits, admissions recruiting events, and conferences. Prior forums have focused on topics including: China, social impact, technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and energy.

Members of the media are invited to attend the event. Click here for more information on the conference or to register. The conference’s sponsors include: Everis, Virtus Partners, Clínica Las Condes, and Siemens Healthineers.

About the MIT Sloan School of Management

The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at http://mitsloan.mit.edu/.